Equine Teeth and Aging 



The age of horses, donkeys, and mules can be estimated by examining the eruption 

 and wear patterns of the teeth. Figures 7 through 9 provide a usable reference to 

 help the accredited veterinarian approximate a given horse's age. These figures are 

 reprinted with the permission of the American Association of Ec]uinc Practitioners 

 from the "Official Guide for Determining the Age of the Horse." 



Figure 7 — Skull of a colt, IVi years old, sculptured to show embedded parts of teeth. 

 Both permanent and deciduous cheek teeth are shown. I 1 = first permanent incisor. 

 Di 2 and D 33 are second and third deciduous incisors. Dc = deciduous canine. 

 C = permanent canine. P 1 = first premolar ("wolf-tooth"). 1, 2, and 3 are deciduous 



premolars. P 2 = first permanent premolar. M 1 = first molar. 



In determining the age of a horse by its teeth, the examination is usually limited to 

 the incisors. Eruption of the premolars and molars (cheek teeth) is a fairly accurate 

 indication of age but is used infrequently. After the permanent teeth are in wear, 

 determination of age becomes more difficult and quite speculative. No single feature 

 or sign alone should be considered as reliable; all signs must be evaluated carefully. 

 The eruption table given here is from Sisson and Grossman (19xx). 



Eruption of the Teeth 



The subjoined table incidates the average periods of the eruption ot the teeth. 



TEETH ERUPTION 

 A. Deciduous: 



First incisor (Di 1) Birth or first week 



Second incisor (Di 2) 4-6 weeks 



Third incisor (Di 3) 6-9 months 



Canine (Dc) 



First premolar (Dp 2) Birth or first 2 weeks 



Second premolar (Dp 3) Birth or first 2 weeks 



Third premolar (Dp 4) Birth or first 2 weeks 



11-16 



